Machine for making tinsel



R. B. BENJA IVHN AND L. M. CURLESS. MACHINE FOR MAKING UNSEL. APPLICATION FILED MA Y13,1920-'RENEWED MARK-19,1921.

1,337,548. Patented May 10,1921.

3 $HEETS-SHEET I.

\a /0 [I] im. "Him v WW 3 V ,Jfiven'l'ors:

Y W I 'mar flzforneys.

R. B.BENJAMIN AND J. M. CURLESS.

MACHKNE FOR MAKING TINSEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1920. RENEWED MAR. 19, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 10 fllfllllrllllitrflll Bun R.'B. BENJAMIN AND 1., WI. CURLESS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING TINSEL. AIPLICATION FILED MAY I3. 1920. RENEWED MAR. 19. 1921.

Patented May 10, 1921.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8- NI. al -II ll 6. Wenfora:

' W @a M I I fl'ti'orne 7.9. A

6-6 of Fig. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN AND JAMES .M. cUnLEss, OECHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNORS TO BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, noon PORATION OF ILLINOIS. Y

M CHINE FOR A ING .TI NsE Application filed May 13, 19 20, Seri a1 No. 381,189. Renewed March 19, 1921. v Serial No. 453,706.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, REUBEN B. BENJA- MIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, and JAMEs M. CUnLEss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Making Tinsel, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. I

This invention relates to manufacture of tinsel, small magnet wire, and the like. The tinsel referred to comprises a core consisting of cotton or other thread, having a metallic filament wound around it. While'the metal filament may be of any size desired in crosssectional form, the filament or ribbon (as it is usually called) is ordinarily .013 inch wide and .0007 inch thick.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a machine of the type indicated above which will be efiicient and durable in operation and simple in construction.

A further object of our inventionis to provide an improved machine of the type indicated which will be less apt to break the filament than the machines heretofore in use.

A further object of our invention is to provide certain safety features.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow and from the appended claims. r

In the drawings in which one embodiment of our invention is shown;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention, parts being broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 2 is an axial section through the .winding head and turbine; J

Fig. 3 is a horizontal, transverse section substantially on the line 38 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an axial section through the upper part of the spindle;

Fig. 5 is also an axial section through the upper part of the spindle on a different plane from that of Fig. 4.; and

Fig. 6 1s a section substantially on the line The construction shown in the drawing comprises in a general way, means for adva ng a hr a o o lengi lldlnal y Yof screws 21.

without rotating it, and means for wrapping a second thread helically about said first thread, as said first thread is advanced. The

Specification of Letters Patent. l May 10,

first thread or core is advanced longitudinally through a rotatable tubular spindle, on which rotatable tubular spindle is mount.

ed the winding head, in which winding head is inclosed a spool of the filament which is to be" wrapped around the first thread. The winding head carries a flier or filament guide, through. which the filament passes, which flieror filament guide causes the filament to be wrapped helically around the core as the winding head rotates. A fluid air turbine, directly connected with the spindle maybe used for driving the machine.

pressure turbine, such as a steam turbine or struction shown for this purpose comprising 'a capstan provided witha worm drive from the rotatable tubular spindle.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the means for advancing the thread or core 10 longitudinally through the rotatable tubular spindlell, comprises a capstan 12,

aboutwhich the core 10 passes, the capstan 12being driven from the tubular. spindle 11 by means of the worm wheel 13, which meshes with the worm portion 14 of the tubular spindle, the worm wheel 13 being secured on the shaft 15, on which the capstan 12 is also secured. Suitable guide pulleys 16 (see Fig. 1) may be provided for guiding the'core 10 from the tubular spindle 11 through the capstan 12. The tubular spindle 11 itself may be driven from a turbine wheel-17 .(Figs. 2and 3) to which fluid is supplied through a plurality of nozzles 18.

Asuitable casing 19 is provided for the tur-- bine wheel 17 ,thecasing 19 being closed by a cover 20, secured to the casing 19 by means Suitable anti-friction. bearings 22 may be provided for the rotatable I tubular spindle 11.

The-filament 23 which is tobe wound helic'ally. about the core 10may be unwound from a spool or cop 2 1, which maybe slipped on over the upper end of the tubular spindle 11, and may be free to rotate with respect to said tubular spindle. The filament 23 is led from the spool 24through a flier or filament guide'25' which is secured to a conigal li us gmemb 6,. ch housi g mew her is secured to rotate with the tubular spindle l1.

For guiding the core 10 at the point where the filament 23 is being wound about it, a grooved guide 27 (Figs. 4 and 5) is provided, which is recessed as indicated-at 28 and 29 to provide clearance for the filament 23.

In order to confine the filament 23 at the point where it is being wound about the core 10, a tubular confining member 30 is provided having a comparatively large opening 31, throu h which the filament 23 passes to bewoun about the corelO.

The winding head 26 rotates at a very high speed, sometimes as, high as 40,000 revolutions per minute. In order to lessen the air resistance to be encountered by the filament 23 as the winding head is being driven at this very high speed, a conical sheet metal cover 32 is provided having a flange or skirt portion 33, which fits down over the upper edge of the cup-shaped hnusing 26, and having an opening 34 at its upper end, which is just large enough to fit snugly over the restraining member 30. The top 24 and that part of the filament 23 be tween the top and the point Where the filament is wrapped around the core is thus entirely inclosed by the housing member 26 and cover 32.

In order to hold the cover 32 securely in position on the housing 26 a pair of spring latch members 35 are provided these latch members being in the form of leaf springs secured at 36 to the restraining member 30, the upper ends 37 of these leaf springs engaging over the upper edge 38 of the cover 32 to hold it in position.

The fact that the cover 32 is made conical in shape and tapers upwardly causes the air current created by the rotation of the cover to assist in holding the cover in place. The cover 32 as it rotates tends to throw the air in contact with it outwardly, after the manner in which water is thrown off a grindstone and this causes a current of air to flow downwardly over the cover, which air current'will tend to hold the cover 32 in place and thus assist the latch fingers 35.

-Centrifugal force also tends to throw the spring latch fingers 35 outwardly so that the faster the winding head is rotated, the more securelythe cover 32 will be held. The fact that the housing member 26 is made conical in shape, tapering upwardly from the lower flange 39 of thecop 24, to the point where the flier 24 is attached, results in lessening the moment of inertia of the casing 26 as it rotates, which is desirable, as the less the moment of inertia the less is its disturbing effect on the rotation of the rapidly rotating spindle 11. The flier 25 itself is located substantially midway between the lower flange 39 and the upper flange 40 in the cop h h is the P r le a i for it, to

permit the filament to unwind properly from one end to the other of the cop. The tapering surfaces of the housing member 26 and of the conical cover member 32 form suitable supports for the filament 23, which may be thrown against these supportlng surfaces by the centrifugal force occasioned by the very high speed of rotation. These conical surfaces form smooth supporting surfaces over which the filament passes from the cop 24: to the point where the filament is wound onto the core 10.

The operation of the device has been outlined in connection with the description of the construction. It is briefly as follows: The cop 24 is slipped over the tubular spindle 11, and the core 10 is threaded up through the tubularspindle l1, and over the guide pulleys 16 and is wrapped around the capstan. The end of the filament 23 is then threaded through the flier 25 and brought up and secured to the core 10. The turbine is then put into operation, to cause the winding head 26 to rotate and the capstan 12 to revolve. As the capstan l2 revolves it causes the core 10 to be advanced longitudinally, and as the winding head is revolved it causes the flier 25 to revolve also and causes the filament 23 to be wound helically about the core 10.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, and means for Wrapping a second thread helically around said first thread as said first thread is advanced longitudinally, said wrapping means comprising a rotatable winding head, rotatable about the axis of said first thread, means for supporting a spool of said second thread coaXially with said first thread, a rotatable housing for said spool, and means rotatable with said housing for guiding said second thread as it is unwound from said spool, said housing being conical and tapering upwardly from the lower periphery of the spool to the thread guiding means. I

2. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, and means for wrapping a second thread helically about said first thread as said first thread is advanced longitudinally, said wrapping means comprising a rotatable winding head, and a rotatable tubular spindle through which said first thread is advanced, said winding head being secured to said tubular spindle to rotate therewith, said winding head comprising a housing member and a cover for said housing member, means for mountin a spool of said second thread to rotate wit 1. respect to said spindle within said housing member and cover, said wrapping means comprising also means for guiding said sec- 0nd thread, at the point where it is about to be wound about said first thread, and

means for guiding the thread between the point where it leaves the spool and said first guide means, said cover being conical in form and tapering from said second guide means to said first guide means.

3. A machine comprising means foradspindle to rotate therewith, said winding head comprising a rotatable housing member and cover, means for mounting the spool of said second thread coaxially with said first thread to rotate with respect to said spindle Within said rotatable housing member and cover, means for guiding said second thread at the point where it is about to be wound about said first thread, means rotatable with said housing for guiding said second thread as it is unwound from said spool, said cover being conical. in form and taperingfrom said second guide means to said first guide means, said housing member being conical and tapering upwardly from the lower periphery of the spool to said second guide means.

4. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, and means for wrapping a second thread about said first thread when said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a rotatable winding head for inclosing a mass of said second thread, said rotatable winding head comprising a housing member and a cover member for said. housing member, said cover member being conical in form and coaxial with said Winding head, said cover tapering away from said housing whereby centrifugal force will cause a. current of air to flow downwardly along said cover to hold said cover in place on said housing member.

5. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, means for wrapping a second thread about said first thread, as said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a winding head, said winding head comprising a housing member and a cover, and means where by centrifugal force is exerted to hold said cover in place.

6. A machine comprising means for ad vancing a thread longitudinally, means for wrapping a second thread about said first thread, as said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a winding head, said'winding head comprising a housingmember and a cover, and means Whereby. centrifugal force is exerted to hold said,

cover in place, said last means comprising an eccentrically located latch member po-' sitioned so thatcentrifugal force tends to move it to latching position. a g

v 7. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, means for wrapping a second thread about said first thread, as said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a winding head, said Winding head comprising a housing member and a cover, and means whereby centrifugal force is exerted to hold said cover in place, said last means comprising an eccentrically located spring latch member, positioned so that centrifugal force tendsto move it tolatching position.

8. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, means for ,Wrappinga second thread about said first thread,'as said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a winding head, said winding head comprising a housing member and a cover, and means whereby centrifugal force is exerted to hold said cover in place, said last means comprising an eccentrically located latch member positioned so that centrifugal force tends to move it to latching position, said latch member comprising a spring finger.

9. A machine comprising means for advancing a thread longitudinally, means for wrapping a second thread about said first thread, as said first thread is advanced, said wrapping means comprising a wlnding In Witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

JAMES M. CURLESS.

100 head, said winding head comprising a hous- 

